You guys saying you wouldn't do it over the Internet...you realize you'd be looking out the front of the sub just the same right? It's just a matter of where you're sitting while using the control computer.
You guys saying you wouldn't do it over the Internet...you realize you'd be looking out the front of the sub just the same right? It's just a matter of where you're sitting while using the control computer.
YES YES I WOULD
Gameboy are you familiar with FPV in terms of RC stuff? You could make it a lot more immersive experience with headsets. Ah if counting on people doing it from anywhere that would not work.
Seems like you would want some autopilot functions for return to home if someone tries to do anything malicious or gets lost
In some areas as well you are not allowed to touch the reefs so you might have issues with local laws about how to stop people from bumping the subs into stuff
Jaynen wrote: Gameboy are you familiar with FPV in terms of RC stuff? You could make it a lot more immersive experience with headsets. Ah if counting on people doing it from anywhere that would not work
I was actually thinking about that when I saw your Oculus Rift thread 
but adding stereoscopic vision to the subs would be a seriously tough, expensive and potentially bandwidth-intensive mod. Headsets could still be used as regular "2D" monitors, people might like it.
It would be possible to take over the subs from people who get lost or have trouble and get them back to safety. Worst case scenario...that's why I'd want a diver on staff.
Good point about bumping into reefs, but I think all that could be done is to avoid places where it's illegal and ask users not to do it (or maybe some simple proximity sensors if there's a kind that works underwater?). The subs are about the size of a toaster oven and move pretty slow so they can't do too much damage.
GameboyRMH wrote: You guys saying you wouldn't do it over the Internet...you realize you'd be looking out the front of the sub just the same right? It's just a matter of where you're sitting while using the control computer.
Yep. Totally know that. It's purely an attitude/mood thing.
I will never be sitting at home thinking, "You know what sounds fun right now? Spending an hour piloting a mini-sub around a small shipwreck in the Caribbean."
I can imagine stepping off of a cruise ship, seeing an advertisement, and saying, "Wow honey, look! Pilot a mini-sub around a shipwreck. That sounds like a fun thing to do for an hour."
Edit: Plus, if there are technical difficulties, issues, or delays, those are a lot more palatable waiting in person. If someone is on their couch, and the cable gets snagged after 10 minutes, and I have to wait 15 minutes for a diver to untangle it, they are going to get more frustrated and want some sort of refund or time extension or something. A lot easier to negotiate in person. Plus, people dealing with you in person are going to be a lot more likely to treat your equipment with respect than they will through the anonymity of the interwebz. I can imagine some jerk doing their best to try to get the sub caught on something or stuck someplace difficult for your diver to retrieve it if they never have to deal with you in person.
Beer Baron wrote:GameboyRMH wrote: You guys saying you wouldn't do it over the Internet...you realize you'd be looking out the front of the sub just the same right? It's just a matter of where you're sitting while using the control computer.Yep. Totally know that. It's purely an attitude/mood thing. I will never be sitting at home thinking, "You know what sounds fun right now? Spending an hour piloting a mini-sub around a small shipwreck in the Caribbean." I can imagine stepping off of a cruise ship, seeing an advertisement, and saying, "Wow honey, look! Pilot a mini-sub around a shipwreck. That sounds like a fun thing to do for an hour."
That's pretty much exactly my thoughts as well.
OK at least I understand it a little bit now so if this were to get going and become profitable I'd set up an office near the cruise terminal.
Or I guess even a kiosk and a table with some laptops on it could be a cheaper intermediate solution.
GameboyRMH wrote: OK at least I understand it a little bit now
Or near shopping centers. Dad will do this with the kids while mom spends an hour shopping.
You can also make it an experience. You want a big, impressive, analog control interface. Even if it doesn't work any better than buttons on a computer. Give people the opportunity to move around levers and push buttons. I'd make the display more special than just a Lenovo Thinkpad too. Even if all you do is take that laptop and put it in a big Pelican Hardcase, make the equipment look like it is something special, fancy, and custom that they can't just buy at home.
Edit: also kitschy, cheap captain's hats for the kids to wear while dad lets them control it, or (better yet) plastic, old-school diving helmets.
z31maniac wrote:Beer Baron wrote:That's pretty much exactly my thoughts as well.GameboyRMH wrote: You guys saying you wouldn't do it over the Internet...you realize you'd be looking out the front of the sub just the same right? It's just a matter of where you're sitting while using the control computer.Yep. Totally know that. It's purely an attitude/mood thing. I will never be sitting at home thinking, "You know what sounds fun right now? Spending an hour piloting a mini-sub around a small shipwreck in the Caribbean." I can imagine stepping off of a cruise ship, seeing an advertisement, and saying, "Wow honey, look! Pilot a mini-sub around a shipwreck. That sounds like a fun thing to do for an hour."
+2
If there are technical difficulties I figure I could give the user their choice of a free session or refund, I don't see it happening too often. I don't think outright trolling would be a problem after the person paid with a credit card, and of course we'd be able to disconnect anyone being outright stupid (another thing to cover in the ToS).
GameboyRMH wrote: I don't think outright trolling would be a problem after the person paid with a credit card, and of course we'd be able to disconnect anyone being outright stupid (another thing to cover in the ToS).
LOL. Yeah, because everyone totally reads the ToS on every online service.
And I'm sure some bored, drunk college fratboy would totally be worried about losing the rest of his $50 deposit after he pilots a sub for 20 minutes and gets bored with doing that.
$50 for an hour, dads at the mall aren't going to bite either. Not even with a herd of kids. Now $5 for 10 minutes, renewable with a credit card...as a dad I'd keep hitting it as long as the kids are occupied. I'd risk $5 to try it, maybe. And then keep on going if I liked it.
Ditto the comments about making it submarine like. Sell the experience. That's why so many of us build silly fake cars to play our racing simulators in. Doesn't make them work any better, just adds to the experience.
Make it good. Something that moves slowly, while looking at a fuzy image of something murky just isn't interesting. An underwater obstical course, treasures I can find, that sort of stuff is fun to a customer.
FranktheTank wrote: If it was at the beach while I was on vacation and they were RC type I would. Over the web, heck no.
my first thoughts when I opened and started to read your post was that this was aimed as a tourist trap type idea... which IMHO is great... tourists "splurge" for neat, fun memories... i've seen people dump money out just to run an RC boat in a pool in the tourist trap that is Panama City Beach...
what you have is a neat idea and appeals to my inner geek and love of snorkeling and such... but I can turn on netflix and see some amazing tropical reef locations... all in HD mind you.
a neat idea... but not or me
The subs are slow but you'd get a good clear image of lots of interesting things, it won't be boring to anyone who doesn't normally go snorkelling or scuba diving in a similar location.
I would pay $30 for half an hour. My coworker would too. We are Silicon Valley tech types and not representative of the general population, but:
In thinking about it, I would want to do it together with my fiancee and we would have fun looking for particular species of fish or coral etc.
Which together with the "dads at the mall" comment from Beer Baron leads to:
Sell it online to parents to do at home with their kids. If you add "gamification" (sorry, Silicon Valley talk..) where there is a short educational module about each type of fish and then parents and kids together can check off fish and corals as they see them and earn badges/rewards/extra time... then it could be educational and really fun. A real life video game. My coworker says you should name it "iSea" 
You could offer it for free to science teachers to use in their classrooms, then all 30 of the kiddies would go home and ask mommy and daddy to do it with them for $.
Let me know if you want me to put you in touch with any web programmers/gamification people.
PS. One final thought: mobile app where the sub is controlled by tilting the iPad/iPhone would be amazing!
The mobile app's doable, the problem with the gamification stuff is it would require more staff to confirm spotted species - object recognition isn't good enough to pick out species yet. Some kind of animal database visible in the control interface could be done.
I thought about the educational side as well but I don't want to rely on that for business, I want to see how many home users would be interested.
sounds like fun
Beer Baron wrote:GameboyRMH wrote: You guys saying you wouldn't do it over the Internet...you realize you'd be looking out the front of the sub just the same right? It's just a matter of where you're sitting while using the control computer.Yep. Totally know that. It's purely an attitude/mood thing. I will never be sitting at home thinking, "You know what sounds fun right now? Spending an hour piloting a mini-sub around a small shipwreck in the Caribbean." I can imagine stepping off of a cruise ship, seeing an advertisement, and saying, "Wow honey, look! Pilot a mini-sub around a shipwreck. That sounds like a fun thing to do for an hour." Edit: Plus, if there are technical difficulties, issues, or delays, those are a lot more palatable waiting in person. If someone is on their couch, and the cable gets snagged after 10 minutes, and I have to wait 15 minutes for a diver to untangle it, they are going to get more frustrated and want some sort of refund or time extension or something. A lot easier to negotiate in person. Plus, people dealing with you in person are going to be a lot more likely to treat your equipment with respect than they will through the anonymity of the interwebz. I can imagine some jerk doing their best to *try* to get the sub caught on something or stuck someplace difficult for your diver to retrieve it if they never have to deal with you in person.
Yup. My thoughts, too.
THREAD UPDATE: You guys were wroooooong!!! 
http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/06/tech/innovation/underwater-drones/index.html
(Well not those of you who thought it would be cool and profitable. You were right.)
In reply to GameboyRMH:
You've got mail
In reply to GameboyRMH:
At the same time this just makes your idea easier. Buy a couple and rent them out. There's not a lot of people that will drop 850 bucks on a mini sub robot thing (I live in Indiana, it'd never get used), but plenty of people would rent one for 30 minutes to use while on vacation. Kinda like jetski rentals.
Can you drop the sub near well populated beach with lots of hot ladies? I want to bump some rumps.
GameboyRMH wrote: THREAD UPDATE: You guys were wroooooong!!!
What exactly was anyone wrong about? Just because you buy the subs, doesn't automatically mean you could build a business model around people piloting them.
Also, I don't think people were saying that selling time piloting a sub like this is a bad business idea. I think people were saying that you should market the experience to tourists locally rather than to schmoes sitting at home remotely.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Sorry but I would not pay $50. Have snorkel, will travel.
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